Hey everyone, I apologize that it has taken so long to write a new blog. It’s not that I’m really busy, but rather we’ve been having satellite issues. One of the satellites we rely on for internet and phone service is well past its expected lifetime and so we are having connectivity issues. We are still waiting for our drill site to get set up, but progress is being made. We anticipate drilling to begin December 1st. In the meantime, I’ve been staying busy by making new friends, playing volleyball (3 times last week!), learning to play guitar and card games and going to the gym. I’ve also been working on my own research – what I can with no internet access! I’ve had a few questions about life at the South Pole, so here you go! I love reading your questions so please keep them coming!

1) Since it's almost summer in the southern hemisphere, is there 24 hours of daylight? If so, do you find it difficult for your body to adjust to a sleeping schedule? Yes, there is 24 hours of daylight here at the South Pole right now. As the Earth rotates around the sun during the year, the tilt of Earth’s axis does not change. Therefore, in the northern hemisphere’s winter (southern hemisphere’s summer), the Earth is actually tilted away from the sun in the northern hemisphere, but tilted towards the sun in the southern hemisphere. As the earth rotates around its axis during the 24 hours of a day, the sun never “sets” at the South Pole during the summertime. The same is true for the North Pole during the summertime in the northern hemisphere. Basically, the sun stays at the same angle in the sky during the whole day, but just moves around the sky. The angle of the sun does change slowly each day and by mid-February/early March here at the South Pole, the sun will start to set and winter begins with 24 hours of darkness! The 24 hours of daylight does make it difficult to adjust to a sleeping schedule. My room has a window with a solar blind, but it does not get completely dark as one imagines “nighttime”. The cafeteria has windows too, so if we are playing cards after dinner, it really does not feel like it is getting late in the evening. The best thing I have found is to shut my blinds around 9pm and stay in my room so I can simulate nighttime. 2) How many people are at McMurdo now? Are there people there year round (even in winter) to keep up with the weather balloon launches and such? McMurdo Station is on the coast and during the summer is home to around 1,000 people, contractors and scientists. McMurdo is basically the “port” of U.S. Antarctic support and all incoming food, supplies, people, etc. come through McMurdo and so it is always a hustle and bustle city. In order to keep research and facilities up and running, people do stay at McMurdo (and all the other US stations) year round. Staying during the winter is called “wintering over”. I’m not quite sure about the exact number for McMurdo, but I’m estimating that around 50 people winter over at McMurdo. In order to be qualified to winter over, every person must undergo a complete physical and physiological exam. Planes cannot land in the dark and extreme temperatures during the winter months and therefore every person staying on the ice must be in great physical and mental health. The reason for the physiological exam should be self-explanatory – complete darkness and isolation can really do a number on your mind. The number of people currently at the South Pole station is 150, which is the maximum occupancy of the station. I’d estimate that about 50% of those people work to keep the station running, including plumbers, electricians, carpenters, IT specialists, etc. The rest are people like me- scientists or technicians working on a specific science project. Around 20 people winter over at South Pole. Until next time, Mindy

The view from my dorm window. The "pod" across the way is the second set of dorms.

South Pole Day #4There hasn't been much going on in terms of the SPice drilling project. The start of the summer season for McMurdo and South Pole was delayed by about a week due to inclement weather which ultimately held up significant amounts of cargo. Hopefully by mid-week, we'll have received more of the cargo for our project. In other news, I ventured outside yesterday - brr. We had to take part in snowmobile training and van training because our drilling site is about 3-4 miles away from the South Pole station and we'll be commuting to and from daily. Most of the vehicles used in Antarctica are 4x4 passenger vans that are retrofitted with larger snow tires or track tires (something like a bulldozer). They all have electrical plugs in the front to keep plugged in while the engine is off in order to keep the battery from becoming too cold. It is pretty amazing how "normal" equipment can be altered to work in such extreme conditions. After the training, we took a brief tour of some of the facilities located on the back side of the station. There are some older buildings that are not really used anymore, but are still kept in case of emergencies - such as extra dorm rooms in case one of the flights is unable to return to McMurdo and we have to house an Air Force crew of 9-10 people. Most of the buildings are the old summer camp that was used during the construction of the new station that I'm currently calling home. One of the buildings was a recreation room with a rock wall! I also got to see where the meteorologists launch the weather balloons twice a day. This upper air observations they get from these balloon launches is critical for forecasting flights in and out of the Pole. They launch at 10am and 10pm every day,and I may go out tomorrow morning and watch them launch.After about 1.5 hours outside, we came back inside. Just that little bit outside did me in! It takes really about a full week to get acclimated to the altitude. In fact, yesterday we were well over 11,000 feet barometrically (i.e., a low pressure area of air had moved over us similar to how low and high pressure systems move across the U.S causing storms or sunny days). For dinner last night, we had pasta - yummy. This included angel hair noodles, meatballs, your choice of marinara sauce, meat sauce or pesto sauce, garlic bread and a fresh salad. Of course there was dessert too - salted caramel pie. I instead had a chocolate chip cookie.The night ended with some great socialization and a book on tape - "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" (Thanks, Scot Parker). This morning I started the day off with some light yoga emphasizing stretching and breathing. Boy, did the breathing start to get hard when I was doing downward dog! Following yoga was a delcious brunch with fresh omelets, fruit and hash browns. I then proceeded to watch "The Big Lebowski" since so many people have insisted that I watch it. Pretty amusing. Well, that's really the extent of my excitement. Things should pick up here shortly once the drilling starts!

We made it! After almost 4 consecutive days of traveling on 4 different types of planes, 2 commercial and 2 military (Air Force), my colleagues and I have arrived at South Pole. All in all the trip was about 25 flying hours. Antarctica is so beautiful that even the best pictures don't do it justice. South Pole is incredibly cold. Right now the air temperature is -40 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit for all you non-scientists - hehe) with a wind chill of about -56 degrees C (-68 degrees F). The wind chill is the temperature that it actually feels like outside due to the blowing wind. Definitely cannot be outside in my normal "California attire". For the next few days, we will take it easy as we are getting acclimated to the high altitude. The South Pole station is at a physiological elevation of around 10,000 feet! This means we just basically climbed a small mountain in just 3 hours, which does cause some effects on the body. The pressure in the atmosphere decreases exponentially with height and in turn the amount of oxygen in the air decreases too. This can make it hard for the body to obtain oxygen with just normal breathing so my heart rate has increased slightly and going up stairs is a bit of work-out. For the next few days, my body will get used to the reduced oxygen content and eventually I won't be bothered. For now though, I have to increase my fluid intake and try to not move around too much or lift heavy items. Until next time (which depends on satellite coverage),Mindy

I safely made it to Sydney, Australia this morning after a 14 hour flight that crossed both the equator and the international date line. The time in Sydney is 19 hours ahead of the time in the Pacific time zone (Irvine, CA) and so I'm technically living in the future - it's Monday here, while it is still Sunday for Irvine! We had several hours of layover in Sydney, so Murat, Kimberly (the other members of the science crew) and I took the train to the city. It was a beautiful day with slight drizzle. We leave in a few hours to get to Christchurch where we will stay for 2 nights. Here are some pictures of the fabulous Sydney, Australia!

My journey to Antarctica began yesterday. I was able to bring around 75 pounds of luggage with a carry-on. If any of you have tried to pack cold weather gear, you'll know that it takes up a lot of space - now image packing for a trip to Antarctica! To stay warm and comfortable in the Antarctic, we must wear several warm layers of fleece or wool. Cotton is actually pretty worthless in the extreme temperatures found in Antarctica. Below is a list of the clothing that I packed for my trip:

Time sure is flying along. I received my official flight itinerary, and I leave for the South Pole on November 8th. The journey to the South Pole takes several days - almost a week actually. Unlike most U.S. travel, there is not a "non-stop" flight to the South Pole. In fact, my journey to the South Pole will consist of several stops and stages. First, I will be flying from Los Angeles (just up the road from me here in Irvine) to Sydney, Australia. I will only be in Sydney for a few hours for a layover and will then fly to Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch is the location for the United States Antarctic Program headquarters and where I will receive all my cold weather gear and safety training. I will spend two nights in Christchurch and then hopefully leave for McMurdo Station. I say "hopefully" because the flight out of Christchurch to McMurdo depends heavily on the weather conditions along the route from Christchurch and in McMurdo. It is not unusual for flights to be cancelled for several days due to bad weather. Remember, Antarctica is a land of extremes! Once in McMurdo, we will wait until the South Pole Station has been resupplied and is ready for new visitors to arrive and then we will be flown to the South Pole. All in all, the trip to South Pole will take about a week!

My packing adventure begins today. What all do you think I'll need to take with me for my trip? I'd love to hear your comments.

Until next time,Mindy

LC130 Takeoff from Greenland. These are the planes used to for transport from Christchurch to Antarctica and around Antarctica. Notice the skis -- no wheels here! Image by Søren Wedel Nielsen (Copyright 2005).